


El Meno

by kvhottie



Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - 1950s, Dominican folklore, Fluff and Humor, Hinata as a cute rainforest creature, M/M, Mythical Beings & Creatures
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-01
Updated: 2019-03-01
Packaged: 2019-11-07 16:11:18
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,476
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17963807
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kvhottie/pseuds/kvhottie
Summary: 1950’s. When Kageyama, the 18-year-old son of a world-famous cryptozoologist, gets invited by his dad to come along with him on a work trip to the Dominican Republic, he reluctantly accepts. Running around finding “mythical creatures” in a topical island didn’t sound like too bad of a vacation.But when the work trip ends up being him and his dad’s crew trekking through a creepy rainforest in the outskirts of D.R, he starts regretting his choices. Things take a turn for the worse when he gets separated from the rest of the group—but a pointy-eared Meno named Hinata comes to his rescue.





	El Meno

It was summer break during Kageyama’s first year in university, and he was taking in a deep breath of tropical air as he stepped out of his family jet and onto the ground of the Dominican Republic.  
   
But this wasn’t just some breezy vacation—he was here with his dad, world-famous cryptozoologist Takeo Kageyama, and the two other guys in his crew, for _work_. His dad had dragged him along claiming it was a belated ‘graduation trip’ when it was actually an attempt to get Kageyama interested in cryptozoology. Kageyama was unwilling at first, especially since he was very skeptical of his father’s career, but relented, figuring it’d be nice to get out of Japan for the first time in his life.  
   
“Señor Kageyama?” asked a young man with a heavy accent, the gold buttons in his olive military uniform catching the harsh sunlight. “Come with me, the car is waiting,” he said in mangled Japanese.  
   
The man led them to a shiny black car, helped them put their things in the trunk, and then climbed onto the driver’s seat, large rifle tucked to the side of the car door. They drove to the Palacio Nacional, a beautiful, large white building that housed the offices of the executive branch of the government, and where Takeo was going to meet with President Trujillo. Takeo had explained during the flight that Trujillo had hired him to make an extensive report on the rumored mythical creatures roaming the rainforests of Palma Herrada. He wanted an assessment of the existence of these creatures, and if the conditions were safe enough for the expensive excursions he wanted to offer tourists who liked a bit of thrill.  
   
Takeo went inside Trujillo’s heavily guarded office as the rest of them sat on a bench in the hallway. Kageyama took his eyes away from the meticulously polished floors to the view outside a nearby open window; it was just miles of vibrant green palm trees and clear blue skies.  
   
The meeting was brief. After about ten minutes, Takeo stepped out of the office and the same young man escorted them back to the car to give them a ride to Palma Herrada. The drive was a bit over three hours of comfortable silence, only disturbed with Takeo’s occasional interrogation of the the young man on his half Japanese, half Dominican heritage, hobbies, and something or another. Kageyama tried to zone out his father’s stupidity by closing his eyes and focusing on the warm breeze coming through the car’s open windows. The air had this fresh, sweet taste to it but as they approached Palma Herrada, it started turning unpleasantly saccharine.  
   
The car stopped in front of a small, bright turquoise cottage near the edge of the rainforest and they all got out, taking their luggage from the trunk.  
   
“Use this place for sleep,” explained the young man who they now knew was named Reo. “I will pick you up in three days.”  
   
Takeo nodded and yelled “Gracias” as Reo drove off. They walked into the cottage, pleasantly surprised to find it well accommodated with electricity, four single sized beds, a few fans, and a small kitchen. After each of them claimed their bed and settled down for a few minutes, Kageyama decided to break the silence.  
   
“I still can’t believe you accepted a job from a vicious dictator,” he stated while glaring across the room at his dad.  
   
Takeo pushed up his glasses and took a seat on his bed with a sigh. “I know it’s shameless and am well aware that Trujillo is awful…but a rare chance like this doesn’t pop up often.”  
   
“Your dad is a man led by his curiosity, not reason,” offered Akio with a chuckle.  
   
Fumi clapped his hands in agreement. “That’s very true. You came along this time, Tobio-kun, but at least you aren’t _always_ being dragged to strange places by your father like we are.”  
   
“Okay, enough poking fun at me,” Takeo said as he stood up. “Let’s make some dinner.”  
   
But instead of helping, Kageyama lay back on the bed and stared at the ceiling. He was feeling quite a few things, but the strongest emotion had to be regret. As grateful as he was for the few hours of seeing the island, starting tomorrow he’d be spending three days in close proximity to his strange dad, and if that weren’t bad enough, they’d be trekking up and down some ‘haunted’ forest. He obviously didn’t think through the pros and cons of this trip carefully enough.  
   
After a heaping serving of black bean chili and fried green plantains (courtesy of their patron), and a few rounds of Old Maid, they all went to bed in preparation for the very early morning ahead of them.  
 

* * *

  
 The rainforest was a pathless mass of dewy greens and browns, and strangely cool in temperature. The harsh sunlight was filtered by the tall trees and landed as a soft shimmering yellow. It had been about an hour since Kageyama and the rest of them had started exploring this beautiful and eerie forest, and there was a feeling Kageyama couldn’t shake since entering.  
   
“Hey guys…haven’t you’d had the feeling that something’s been watching us for a while now?” Kageyama asked as he slowly looked around them once more. He was dressed in a red Hawaiian short-sleeve shirt, beige shorts, beige wide brim hat, sneakers, and a big backpack.  
   
“Yes!” Akio and Fumi said in unison as they turned back to look at Kageyama.  
   
Takeo continued walking as he exclaimed, “I do too, and doesn’t that mean we’ll find something exciting? Lets keep going!”  
   
But suddenly something dashed out of a tree a few yards in front of them and ran further into the forest. Takeo started running and the rest of them followed suit, but as soon as they passed the tree that creature had emerged from, Kageyama lost sight of the rest of crew. He broke to a stop, the hair on his body standing on end, and blinked hard. _Nothing_.  
   
“Dad?!...” He yelled as he searched around, walking a few feet past the tree, and then around it. “Akio?! Fumi?!”  
   
Somewhere in his gut Kageyama understood this was of a supernatural flavor, but he continued walking the path his father had planned for them. It wasn’t easy—everything was beginning to look the same, as if he was circling without realizing it, and though time seemed to never move, by the way the sun was dimming he knew darkness would come eventually. Regardless, he continued on. But with every step he took without any sign of progress, the deeper the furrow between his eyebrows grew and the harder his heart beat against his chest.  
   
In this moment of bubbling panic was when a guy just a foot or so shorter than Kageyama nonchalantly walked out of the trunk of a nearby tree. Kageyama whipped his head to glare at him, figuring he had finally lost it. The guy had vibrant orange hair, pointy ears, and tan skin with blue leaf and vine patterns curving around his lean arms, legs, and exterior torso. He was barefoot and dressed in a rust-brown cropped tank and skirt made out of leaves and vines. Kageyama took a shaky breath and closed his eyes really tightly, counting to himself for a few seconds before he opened them again. _Yep_ , the weirdo was still there.  
   
“You aren’t imagining things,” the guy said with lively, musical laughter.  
   
“Who- _What_ are you?” Kageyama muttered. “…And you’re speaking Japanese?”  
   
The guy took a step closer to Kageyama, lips curling up into a childish smile. “Oh, is that the name of this language? It’s one of my skills since I’m a meno. And it was probably one of my siblings that drew the rest of those guys away.”  
   
Kageyama looked him up and down once more, hoping that staring at the guy a bit longer would give him more information than the non-answer he just got. “A _meno_?”  
   
“Yup, a _meno_. My name’s Hinata.” He slowly circled around Kageyama with playfulness in his step. “My siblings get bored easily and it’s rare to find a traveler this deep in the rainforest, so they played a prank on you guys. The forest is enchanted and also mischievous. It purposely changes up paths to make travelers get lost.”  
   
“But you know your way around, right?”  
   
“I do.” Hinata stood facing Kageyama. “I can help you find the rest of your group, but you must offer me an item from the outside world.”  
   
Kageyama furrowed his eyebrows and took off his backpack, emptying out the contents inside and organizing them into two piles: essential items and things he could do without. He pointed at the latter pile and looked up at Hinata. “You can take anything from here.”  
   
Hinata crouched down and started excitedly sifting through the pile. His eyes landed on a gold compact mirror and he picked it up, fingers gliding across the top and the side as they gently opened it. His face light up and those golden eyes twinkled with fascination when he saw his reflection. “This one,” he whispered and stood up, still looking at himself.  
   
Kageyama packed his things and walked beside Hinata. “Is it strange to see your reflection?” he asked, amused and a bit endeared by Hinata’s fascination with the compact mirror.  
   
“Yes. I never get a chance to see myself this clearly. I had an idea of what I looked like from staring at my reflection in the river, but seeing my face this clearly reminds me that I really don’t look like the rest of my family.”  
   
“Why?” Kageyama asked as he lifted a big leaf out of Hinata’s way.  
   
Hinata closed the compact and held it in his hands behind his back. “I was originally human,” he explained and glanced over at Kageyama. “Los Menos steal children that aren’t baptized and turn them into one of them—but the spell didn’t fully work on me. I still age and look like a human boy, well, aside from the pointy ears and the blue markings on my skin, but I have the powers of a meno.” Hinata shrugged, a smile gracing his lips. “And my family still cares for me even if I look different.”  
   
“What kind of powers do meno have?”  
   
“We have an incredible sense of hearing and sight, especially in the dark, ability to understand and mimic any language, and we are invisible to the human eye.” Hinata brought his hands forward, held the compact up in the air, and then disappeared. “We’re only visible when we want to be,” he explained, moving his hand around to make it seem as if the compact were floating.  
   
“Woah…”  
   
Hinata giggled and appeared again, face beaming. “Cool, right?”  
   
“Yeah.” Kageyama pulled on the straps of his backpack. “But if you’re usually invisible to humans, while did you decide to show yourself to me?”  
   
Hinata’s smile turned into a cocky smug and he skipped ahead, walking backwards in front of Kageyama and staring him straight in the eyes. Around them, the forest glowed a dim blue—the same enchanting color of the patterns on Hinata’s skin. “Because you looked so panicked I thought you might cry.”  
   
“I would not.” Kageyama stammered.  
   
“Yeah, _sure_.” Hinata snickered. “It was also the first time I had seen a human boy this close. The locals avoid going deep into the forest because they know of all the creatures that roam it…so you’re obviously not from around here.”  
   
Kageyama shook his head. “No, I’m from a country called Japan. My dad is in the group that I got separated from and he dragged me along because Trujillo asked him to research the creatures in this forest, and possibly get proof that they exist.”  
   
Hinata’s eyes narrowed and he folded his arms across his chest. “The rainforest can sense intentions and she grows angry when they aren’t pure. You must leave as soon as possible; the forest is extremely dangerous for humans once the moon is out. Especially on a night of a full moon like tomorrow.”  
   
“What do you —”  
   
Hinata turned invisible and pushed Kageyama from behind, quietly warning, “Be very careful.” And the forest that had felt magical for that while of them walking together, was now dark and frightening.  
   
Kageyama couldn’t spare a second to panic over Hinata’s disappearance because he immediately saw his father and the rest of the crew a few feet in front of him, near an exit. His dad rushed to him, lightly bopped him in the head, and pulled him into a quick hug while letting out a loud sigh of relief.  
   
“We were so worried! How did you even get separated from us? One moment you were right behind and the next you were nowhere in sight.”  
   
“The forest changes its paths to get humans lost. I don’t know if you guys will believe me…” Kageyama took a step away from his father and tried to catch his eyes in the weak glow of Akio’s flashlight. “I met a meno.”  
   
“ _Meno_?” Takeo pulled out the notepad he used to compile research before a trip and borrowed Akio’s flashlight to scan through his most recent pages. “Los Menos…” he read out loud, “small, blue mischievous forest creatures usually invisible to the human eye. Yes, that’s definitely the creature we where chasing earlier, though I only got a glimpse of it.”  
   
“This meno I met, Hinata, showed himself to me and guided me back to you guys. He also warned us to leave the forest immediately. It’s especially dangerous for humans at night, and will be even more dangerous tomorrow since it’s a night of a full moon.”  
   
“A full moon, huh…” Takeo muttered to himself as he continued to read through his notes, Kageyama’s warning having no effect. “Los Menos would be hard to catch a picture or recording of since they are usually invisible, but if we could at least get footage of another creature. _Ah_ , here!” He pointed at his entry on “Ciguapa” and read it out loud, “A creature that appears during a full moon as a beautiful, brown skin woman with silky floor length hair. She lures men deep into the rainforest to her lair, sucking out their souls once she’s captured them. She is hard to track because of her backwards feet.”  
   
Kageyama’s bit his bottom lip and balled his fists at his sides. “ _Lets. Leave._ I’ve seen a meno, and I’ve seen what this forest can do. It’s not a joke.”  
   
“We will leave for tonight.” Takeo stated as he tucked his notepad under his arm. “But we will return tomorrow and stay until midnight.”  
   
“No way.” Kageyama marched ahead of the group and out of the forest to the sweet relief of cottages with lights, and _humans_ , in the distance. “If you three want to get snatched by a Ciguapa, then you’ll be doing that alone.”  
   
They all returned to the cottage in silence, had a simple dinner where Takeo and his crew discussed plans for the next day while Kageyama continued to glare disapprovingly, and quickly went to bed. But while the rest of them easily fell asleep, a cacophony of snores filling the air, Kageyama lay awake with his eyes closed. Now alone with his thoughts he could place the familiar discomfort he had been feeling since returning to the cottage—it was that prickly sensation of being watched by something hiding in the darkness. But he was tired of surprises, and if he were being honest with himself, quite scared, so he squeezed his eyelids shut until sleep finally overtook him.  
   
That night he dreamt of Hinata. And saw an after image of Hinata’s face in the brilliant rays of morning sunlight filling the cottage.  
   
“We’re heading out,” Takeo said once he noticed Kageyama sitting up. “You sure you don’t want to come?”  
   
Kageyama ruffled his own hair as he let out a loud yawn. “I’m positive. Good luck, dad.”  
   
“Okay. Hold down the fort for us, then. See you tonight,” Takeo replied with a light chuckle and shut the door behind him.  
Kageyama sighed and lay back again, staring at the ceiling for a long while longer before getting out of bed to start his day of ease. He brushed his teeth and scarfed down the quick cheese and mashed plantain breakfast he clumsily prepared for himself. He then changed into a blue tropical button-up identical to his red one, emptied out his backpack until it only had the essentials, put on his hat, and headed out the door to explore the town.  
   
He wasn’t the greatest with directions so he took extra care to note where their cottage was, and made sure to only stick to the town’s main road. The walk was somewhat challenging—the countryside was hilly and the road was rough, but the tenants of the nearby cottages cheerfully waved and smiled at him, so he was having a pleasant time. After a few hours of strolling, often stopping to take in the view or buy a treat from a traveling vendor, Kageyama found a small river that cut through the town. He decided it’d be the perfect spot to settle in for lunch.  
   
Kageyama followed it downstream a few feet so he’d be far enough away from the main road that he could have some privacy, but close enough so he could find it again. He unpacked his water, bananas, cheese, and bread, and ravenously ate it all as he did with every meal. He sat around watching the sky as his stomach digested his food, and then stripped down to his briefs to take a quick dip. The water was a pristine blue and blissfully refreshing, and he just stood there, the water slowly moving around him, with his eyes closed and face enjoying the brilliantly warm sun.  
   
But his peace was interrupted by a splash nearby. When he opened his eyes, there was no one around, and suddenly all the puzzle pieces came together.  
   
“Hinata,” he said curtly.  
   
“You caught me,” Hinata responded with a cheery giggle as he made himself visible, standing only a foot or so away from Kageyama. He walked closer with a smirk. “When did you notice?”  
   
“Last night. Why are you following me?”  
   
Hinata looked at him blankly and then looked down at the water, his fingers slowly threading in and out of it as he thought in silence. After a few moments he looked up again and shrugged, an easy smile on his lips. “I’m not sure. I find you interesting.”  
   
Kageyama scoffed. “It’s only because I’m the first guy my age you’ve met that’s crazy enough to talk to you.”  
   
“That’s not it. You’re definitely special,” he insisted.  
   
“ _Sure_ ,” Kageyama muttered and sunk into the water to swim around for a while. He went completely under, opening his eyes to look down at the grey, pearly floor of rocks and the head of bright orange swimming next to him. Unlike Kageyama who had average—borderline mediocre—swimming skills, Hinata moved around the water like he was born breathing it. He circled Kageyama with ease, swimming above and then under him, weaving playfully—it was beautiful. _He_ was beautiful.  
   
Kageyama went up for air, standing up in the river and slicking his hair back out of his face. “Are all meno that good at swimming?”  
   
“No, not really. We’re all decent swimmers, but I spent a lot of time playing in the river out of boredom so I got really good at it.”  
   
“Oh.” Kageyama walked to the bank of the river, sat down with a content sigh, and kept his feet in the water.  
   
Hinata followed suit, sitting only a few inches away from him and staring at his face with a silly, curious smile. “So…”  
   
“What…?”  
“Tell me about the outside world!”  
   
Kageyama signaled to their surroundings. “You are in the outside world. Don’t you know about it already?”  
   
“No. I’ve never gone this far away from the rainforest before. It’s dangerous to be this far away from home in case someone manages to catch me and experiment on me or something…also my magic is not as strong when I am outside of the forest. “  
   
“Okay, then. What do you want to know?”  
   
Hinata kicked his feet in the water excitedly and leaned closer, eyes glimmering. “What’s it feel like to ride in those bird looking machines that fly in the air?”  
   
“A plane? It feels normal. I try not to think too much about the fact that we are thousands of miles up in the air.”  
   
“Was it a plane that brought you from your country of Japan?”  
   
“Yeah, we have a family jet—oh, a jet is just a smaller plane.”  
   
Hinata’s eyes widened. “You have your own jet?! Those must be expensive, right? Are you rich?”  
   
“Not rich, but we are comfortable, I guess.”  
   
“So cool.”  
   
Kageyama glanced over at Hinata. “Uh, so if you’re real, many other mythical creatures must be real too.”  
   
“Well,” Hinata hummed in thought. “Most of them are, but a few are just stories humans made up. There are a few of us that are really scary, but the scariest legends are things humans exaggerated. It’s the stupid little ones like Ratoncito Perez that are completely true.”  
   
“Ratoncito Perez?”  
   
“Your dad didn’t tell you about him?!” Hinata beamed.  
   
To which Kageyama shook his head “no” and not a second later Hinata was gleefully, and without catching his breath, telling Kageyama about the little magical mouse with a straw hat that collected children’s baby teeth from under their pillows. He explained that he had met Perez once, and that he was definitely the nicest, and softest little creature in all of the Dominican Republic. Kageyama just nodded along and watched Hinata’s face, finding his range of facial expressions much more interesting than his story about a tooth fairy rat.  
   
“Is there another creature you want me to tell you about?”  
   
“No, I think I’m okay for now,” Kageyama said as he stood up to put on his pants and shirt. He left the shirt completely unbuttoned, and swung his bag on his back. “The sun is setting so we should walk around a bit longer to dry off and then head back.”  
   
Hinata nodded and walked next to Kageyama toward the main road, completely visible.  
   
“Is it okay to walk around like this? Don’t the locals know what you are?”  
   
“I’m only visible to you right now. I can choose who exactly can see me.” Hinata stuck his tongue out devilishly. “So if you talk too loudly, anyone who passes will think you’re not right in the head and are talking to yourself.”  
   
“Oh.”  
   
And with that they started their comfortably silent trek back to the cottage. They walked steadily, watching the people settle outside their cottages for a game of dominos or just to sit around to exchange stories that made laughter rise up to the sky. Hinata would stop occasionally to pull out any colorful flowers he saw blooming near the road and to pet every cow or stray dog that they encountered. All the animals eagerly leaned their heads into Hinata’s small hand as if they could sense his warmth and magic and as if they knew how nice his touch would feel.  
   
By the time they made it back, it was nightfall and everything was pitch black aside from the eerie gleam of the full moon. Kageyama entered the cottage first, turned on the light, and somehow managed, by the skin of his teeth, to not scream when a little blue person appeared right by his hip.  
   
“Fucking hell,” he breathed out.  
   
Hinata snickered and stood next to the mysterious meno. “This is Rele, my younger brother.”  
   
Rele waved at Kageyama and then turned to Hinata. His lips moved, but no sound came out. At least, it wasn’t a sound that Kageyama’s human, non-magical ears could discern. Kageyama stared at them as they talked to each other in what he could only guess was the meno language, and patiently waited for Hinata to tell him what was making his face scrunch up.  
   
“I knew this would happen,” Hinata muttered, eyes now locked to Kageyama’s. “Your dad and his friends were enchanted by the Ciguapa.”  
   
“Wait, what?!”  
   
“Grab you bag and make sure to pack matches, oil, and a piece of wood! We have to act fast if you want to save them,” he urged, helping Kageyama scramble around for the materials. Once they were packed, Hinata grabbed Kageyama by the hand and they began running.  
   
As they rushed into the forest, the leaves around them glowing in that beautiful dim blue, Hinata explained the plan. It was simple, _but dangerous_. And he’d have to do it completely alone because Hinata helping him, and getting caught, would cause tension between Los Menos and the Ciguapas. But that was fine. It was just some pretty, soul sucking, backwards-feet lady, right? If Hinata hadn’t helped him yesterday he would have probably been eaten by something already, so what better way to use his second shot at life than to save his idiot father and crew?  
   
“There they are,” Hinata whispered as they crouched by some trees. “They’re in a trance so don’t even bother trying to wake them up. Just hide among them and do what I told you.”  
   
“Okay.” Kageyama took a deep breath. “I hope I don’t die.”  
   
Hinata squeezed his hand, shining a reassuring smile. “You won’t, I promise. I’ll be right here.”  
   
Hinata then turned invisible and Kageyama took that as a sign to prepare his weapon. He pulled the slab of wood out of his bag, doused the end of it in oil, and held his lighter tightly in his other hand. He slipped out from behind the trees and caught up to the guys, following closely behind them with the slab hidden behind his back.  
   
Their destination was just a few minutes away by trance walking, and struggling through thick foliage and a short, rocky path. The Ciguapa’s lair was a well-hidden cave in darkness so black, it made Kageyama’s sweat turn cold. He brought the slab to the front of him and held his lighter to it, thumb ready to press at any moment.  
   
There was a sound of bare feet approaching them. And something dragging across the ground.  
   
Kageyama held his breath and closed his eyes.  
   
He could sense her. And if he tried hard enough, his ears picked up on the tiny noises she made as she circled in on them. He just had to wait until she was close enough.  
   
_Wait_.  
   
_Wait_ …  
   
His thumb pressed the lighter just as her breath grazed his ear and the end of the wood ignited in a lively fire. Kageyama swung it at her face and she let out an ungodly shriek, jumping back into a crouch while shielding her face with her arms. Kageyama took a step toward her, threateningly pointing the fire at her, and she crawled to the exit of the cave, quickly coming up onto her two backwards feet to run away into the trees.  
   
“Where are we?” Takeo mumbled as he looked around him in a haze. Akio and Fumi were also in a similar state of stupefied, ‘ I just woke up from almost getting murdered by a Ciguapa’.  
   
Kageyama just let out an exasperated sigh and held the fire above him. “Follow me. Once we get out of this creepy cave I’ll explain everything.”  
   
They returned to the spot where Kageyama had parted from Hinata, and Kageyama threw the slab to the dirt round, stomping the fire out. They weren’t even a second in total darkness until the area shimmered blue and Hinata appeared next to Kageyama. The other guys made some sound of amazement, and maybe a slight tinge of fear, but Kageyama dismissed their worry.  
   
“It’s fine. This is Hinata, the meno I told you about yesterday.”  
   
Takeo ducked closer to get a good look. “He’s not fully blue…and looks very human.”  
   
“It’s complicated…Anyhow,” Hinata folded his arms across his chest. “You all must leave this forest and _not return_. Other creatures are now well aware of your presence. Only worse things will happen if you stay any longer.”  
   
“Yes, you’re right,” Takeo lamented. “I’m sorry, I should have listened to Tobio, and the warning you gave him. We’ll leave right away.”  
   
Fumi and Akio nodded insistently. “Finally, the first reasonable thing you’ve said since we started this trip.”  
   
Hinata chuckled and put his fingers to his lips as if to whistle, but again, it was inaudible. A few moments later, Rele, or the meno Kageyama thought to be Rele, and three other small blue meno formed a circle around them and they all started walking, with Hinata leading the pack.  
   
“When we form a circle around you like this, we can make you invisible as well.” Hinata explained.  
   
They made it out of the rainforest with ease, bowing and giving thanks to Hinata’s family for their protection. Takeo and the guys eagerly marched ahead to their cottage while Kageyama lingered behind, shooting Hinata a glance that he hoped he’d understand. Hinata smirked and turned to his family to say something. The other menos returned to the forest and Hinata walked Kageyama back to the cottage, stopping a few feet away from the front door.  
   
“T-Thanks, by the way,” Kageyama murmured, hand rubbing the back of his neck. “…I guess this is the last time I’ll see you?”  
   
Hinata laughed, though it was laced with a bit of regret. “Yes, I guess it is. From the spooked look on you and your companion’s faces, I doubt you’ll be stepping into this rainforest ever again.”  
   
“True.” Kageyama furrowed his eyebrows. ‘What if you—” He cut himself off with a hard shake of his head. He was thinking stupid things. How did he grow so attached to what was basically a forest gnome to the point that he almost asked him to come home with him? It was definitely the magic, spells, enchantments, and whatever else, talking.  
   
Hinata touched his forearm and stepped in front of him, gaze locked. “What were you going to ask?”  
   
“It was stupid,” Kageyama insisted. “It’s just the magic getting to my head.”  
   
Hinata’s eyes lost a bit of their glimmer and his smile faded as gave Kageyama tiny, sad smile. “Okay.”  
   
“I mean—“  
   
Hinata swiftly pressed his lips to Kageyama’s and stepped back, whispering, “This is the human ‘I like you’, right?” And he disappeared, an echo of his ‘bye-bye’ blown away by the night breeze.  
   
To say the least, Kageyama did not get a wink of sleep.  
   
And neither did Takeo, since he spent most of the night writing his report and sketching what he saw while the images were still fresh in his head. When morning arrived they all gathered their belongings, had a pitiful breakfast from the scraps left in the kitchen, and quietly waited for the Reo to come pick them up as Takeo had requested last night.  
   
“What is the conclusion of your report?” Kageyama asked as they loaded their things into Reo’s trunk.  
   
“Of course, that no one is to step into that forest!” Takeo exclaimed. “I’m adventurous, Tobio. Not stupid.”  
   
Kageyama laughed through his nose. “Good.”  
   
On the ride back to the Palacio Nacional Kageyama knocked out, and only woke up to his father returning to the car having presented his report and received his payment. Kageyama was too tired to ask him about Trujillo’s reaction to the conclusion of the report.  
   
Reo drove them to their jet that was ready and waiting to take them back to Japan. It all seemed very rushed to Kageyama, who wondered what the harm of checking into a hotel and sightseeing for a few days would be, but then again, he figured that his father missed the comfort and non-magicalness of his own home just as much as Kageyama did. And also, the Dominican Republic was currently run by a dictator with a short fuse who at any moment could decide that the unsatisfactory results of Takeo’s report had to be punished…  
   
But really, who cares. He just wanted sleep.  
   
Kageyama climbed up into the jet, picked a window seat near the back, and quickly fell asleep. He woke up what seemed to be few hours later, groggy and head pounding with a headache. He reached to the seat next to him for his bag, where he had water and aspirin, but instead he touched a tan leg. His eyes traveled up the person’s body and saw a familiar mischievous smile.  
   
Hinata was sitting next to him.  
   
   
“Holy fuc—“

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you liked my fun KageHina Dominican folklore au. I wrote it for the Haikyuu!! Mythology Zine and collaborated with a super talented artist friend of mine, Gwen, who did artwork for the story. I’m very happy for the chance to combine my culture and KageHina. 
> 
> If you like my writing, I have other Haikyuu!! fics [here](http://archiveofourown.org/users/kvhottie/pseuds/kvhottie/works?fandom_id=758208).
> 
> Follow me on [twitter](https://twitter.com/dontperishyet)! Lets be friends.


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